Texas State University
 
LBJ Student Center, Suite 5-9.1
601 University Drive
San Marcos, TX 78666
Ph: (512) 245-2124
Fax: (512) 245-8268
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Academic Programs

Correspondence Studies

www.studyanywhere.txstate.edu
corrstudy@txstate.edu
Academic Services Building North, Room 302
512.245.2322 | 800.511.8656

Correspondence study provides an alternate method for students to earn college credit. It is self-directed and self-paced, yet the courses parallel those taught in the traditional classroom. Students can take courses from any location and may enroll in courses at any time during the academic year. E-mail assignment submission and online tutoring are available for many courses. Some courses are online.

A listing of correspondence course offerings can be found on online. The enrollment period for all correspondence courses is nine months. Enrollment in correspondence study courses is not available via CatsWeb. Students enroll directly through the Office of Correspondence, Extension & Study Abroad Programs.

To learn more about Texas State correspondence study, please visit www.studyanywhere.txstate.edu and click on Correspondence.

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Extended and Distance Learning

www.studyanywhere.txstate.edu
corrstudy@txstate.edu
Academic Service Building North, Room 302
512.245.2322 | 800.511.8656

Texas State offers courses in several academic disciplines each semester via the Internet, ITV and videotape; at off-campus locations in Austin and San Antonio; at the Round Rock Higher Education Center; and during evenings and weekends on campus.

The procedures for enrolling in extended and distance learning courses are the same as those for enrolling in classes at the San Marcos campus. Students use CatsWeb to enroll in these courses, which are listed by department.

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Center for Multicultural and Gender Studies

www.txstate.edu/mcgs
mcgs@txstate.edu
Flowers Hall, Room 336 | 512.245.2361

The Center for Multicultural and Gender Studies (MCGS) in the College of Liberal Arts administers both the Diversity Studies minor at the undergraduate level and the Women's Studies minor at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

MCGS helps prepare students to work and live in a pluralistic society through curricular and co-curricular activities symposia, workshops, exhibits, theater productions, diversity reading discussions, and research projects. In addition, it assists faculty with resources and professional development activities to encourage the infusion of multiculturalism in the curriculum through a Multicultural Curriculum Transformation and Research Institute. It houses a resource area with more than 300 books, articles, syllabi and tapes. The Center sponsors a Women and Gender Research Collaborative with its own online professional peer reviewed Journal of Research on Women and Gender. Through private donations, Multicultural and Gender Studies offers annual scholarships to students. The director of MCGS works in collaboration with an advisory council of faculty and staff representing several Texas State colleges and departments.

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Occupational Education Program 

www.oced.txstate.edu
Pedernales Building | 512.245.2115

Occupational Education is a highly individualized degree program offering working adults an opportunity to apply skills they have learned in the workplace to academic credit on the undergraduate level. The program allows students to transfer in associate degree work in various career fields to assist in the development of an individualized program.

Two master’s degrees made up of individualized components are also offered through the program. Students seeking certification to teach in Texas in areas such as marketing and trades and industrial education may work toward this certification through Occupational Education. Students may also take some of their courses through Web-based instruction, remote classes in San Antonio and Round Rock, and other forms of distance learning.

For more information, visit the Web site or call: 512.245.2115 (San Marcos); 210.659.0954 (San Antonio); or 512.716.4541 (Round Rock).

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Round Rock Higher Education Center (RRHEC)

www.rrhec.txstate.edu
rrhec@txstate.edu
1555 University Blvd., Round Rock, Texas
512.716.4000

Texas State now offers junior-, senior- and graduate-level courses through our RRHEC campus, located north of Austin in Round Rock, Texas.

Most classes are taught in the late afternoon or evening, and all are held in RRHEC's Avery Building. This building includes 40 classrooms, five computer classrooms, two open computer labs and four computer lounges.

The One-Stop Center provides a full range of student services, including admission and financial aid counseling, academic advising, registration, testing and disability services. Library staff assists students with research, and the lounge provides a place to eat and study. The building is equipped with wireless technology, and lab assistants are available for questions.

To attend classes at the RRHEC, you must first apply and be accepted to Texas State University.

The RRHEC offers a variety of bachelor's and master's degrees as well as certificate programs. Visit www.rrhec.txstate.edu for information on programs and services as well as the class schedule for the coming semester.

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Study Abroad Programs

www.studyanywhere.txstate.edu
corrstudy@txstate.edu

Academic Services Building North, Room 302
512.245.1967 | 800.511.8656

The study abroad experience expands students' intellectual and personal development as they become immersed in other cultures. Students gain a critical self-awareness, an appreciation for a multicultural world, and a clearer understanding of their own culture.

A variety of programs are available to students, ranging from direct enrollment in an institution abroad for a full academic year to participation in Texas State faculty-led programs for a summer or winter term.

The International Student Exchange Program is one study abroad program that provides students with an opportunity to study abroad at costs approximate to Texas State tuition rates. Participants may study abroad for one long semester, a full academic year or a summer, depending on the guidelines of the specific program. Courses in a variety of subject areas are available through this program, affording Texas State students a unique opportunity to enhance their university education with an international experience. In most cases, students do not need to be fluent in the language of the host country.

The credit a student earns in a study abroad program may be applied toward a degree at Texas State. Most of the financial aid that students receive for studying on the Texas State campus may be applied toward Texas State study abroad programs. Qualified Texas State students are also eligible for the International Education Fee Scholarship (IEFS).

To learn more about Texas State study abroad, visit www.studyanywhere.txstate.edu and click on Study Abroad.

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Texas State Intensive English Language Program (TSIE)

www.txstate.edu/ie/
tsie@txstate.edu

Academic Services Building North, Room 400
512.245.7810

Noncredit, university-intensive English language instruction and TOEFL preparation is provided for international students who want to improve their academic English. Additionally, international students can use TSIE classes to satisfy Texas Success Initiative (TSI) requirements.

As part of the university's mission to internationalize the campus, TSIE provides opportunities for Texas State students to meet international students through the "Conversation Partners" exchange and volunteer tutoring.

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Texas Success Initiative (TSI) Program

TSI Requirements
The main component of this program is an initial assessment that measures skills in mathematics, reading and writing. All students, except those who are TSI-exempt, should take an initial assessment test before their first semester in college at a Texas public institution of higher education. Students with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations should contact the Office of Disability Services.

Approved Assessment Instruments

  • ASSET (41R, 38M, 40R)
  • COMPASS ( 81R, 39M, 59W)
  • ACCUPLACER (78R, 63M, 80W)
  • THEA (230R, 230M, 220W)
  • Passing score on essay portion of all tests is 6 (or 5 if the student passes writing multiple choice).

TSI Exemptions
Some students are exempt from assessment. A student will be identified as TSI-exempt or partially exempt when Texas State has received official proof that he or she satisfies any one of the following:

  • earned an associate or bachelor's degree from an institution of higher education whose accreditation is recognized by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
  • earned a composite score of 23 and at least 19 on the mathematics and/or English components of an ACT test that is no more than five years old
  • earned a verbal plus mathematics total of at least 1070 on a SAT test that is less than five years old, with a minimum score of 500 on the mathematics and/or verbal components
  • passed the math and/or English language arts sections of the 11th-grade exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) with a minimum scale score of 2200 and a writing subsection score of at least 3 within the past three years
  • enrolled in a certificate program of one year or less
  • previously attended any institution and has been determined to have met readiness standards by that institution
  • serving on active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States, the Texas National Guard, or as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States and has been serving for at least three years preceding enrollment
  • was honorably discharged, retired or released from active duty as a member of the armed forces of the United States or the Texas National Guard or service as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States on or after August 1, 1990

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions should receive transcript and ACT, SAT or TAKS scores. The Office of Disability Services should receive the necessary documentation if the students are deaf or blind. The Success Initiative Program Office may also receive TAKS scores.

Developmental Education Program
If the student fails one or more parts of the initial assessment, he or she will be required to participate in an individualized developmental education program that will prepare the student for freshman-level course work in the area of deficiency. The program may require retesting, enrollment in developmental courses, and/or participation in lab-based remediation. There are several ways to meet the requirements of the Success Initiative. Successful completion of the program will be jointly determined by the student and a Success Initiative Program representative.

Out-of-state/Private-school Transfers
A student who is transferring course work from a private or out-of-state school may not need to take an assessment. This rule has many restrictions, so please check with the Success Initiative Program Office before assuming it applies to you. The following statements apply to exact transfer courses and not to electives, ELNA courses. They also must have been taken at private or out-of-state schools.

A student who transfers a grade of A, B or C in Mathematics 1315 or 1317 will be regarded as having passed the mathematics part of the assessment.

A student who transfers a grade of A, B or C in English 1310 or English 1320 will be regarded as having passed the writing part of the assessment.

A student who transfers a grade of A, B or C in any one of the following will be regarded as having passed the reading part of the assessment: History 1310, 1320; Political Science 2310, 2320; Psychology 1300; English 2310, 2320, 2330, 2340, 2359, 2360.

If a student has passed some part of the assessment satisfactorily, he or she should take the remaining parts of the test prior to attempting to register for classes at Texas State.

If you are an incoming student and have taken an assessment but we do not have your scores, then visit the Success Initiative Program Office for additional information. For all questions about the Success Initiative or exemptions, please call the Success Initiative Program Office at 512.245.3942. We are located in ASB-North, Room 101.

 

University Honors Program

www.txstate.edu/honors
honors@txstate.edu
Lampasas Building | 512.245.2266

Since 1967 the Honors Program has provided an established community for students from all majors who are looking for a chance to interact with faculty and who are looking for a challenge. Students who join the University Honors Program take small, seminar-type classes where they discuss ideas and raise questions stimulated by readings, field trips and presentations. Faculty members view their honors courses as laboratories to experiment with research and teaching whether the area is physics, mathematics, business, the humanities, poetry or the arts. The aim of the University Honors Program is to promote interdisciplinary inquiry, curiosity, creativity and a lifetime love of learning.

The program encourages students to choose to study abroad and often schedules Honors study abroad offerings.  University Honors Program students and faculty also engage in the Texas State "Common Experience," a program designed to encourage a campus-wide conversation around a common theme that includes events, speakers and exhibits highlighting the theme and a common core reading. Recent Common Experience themes include The Water Planet: A River Runs Through Us, and Civic Responsibility and the Legacy of LBJ. Speakers have included environmental activist Erin Brockovich, American oceanographer Sylvia Earl, Ambassador Andrew Young, and Lynda Johnson Robb along with her sister, Luci Baines Johnson. The upcoming theme, The Whole Mind, promises to engage a broad audience. 

The University Honors Program is housed in the historic Lampasas Building, adjacent to Old Main. The renovated space includes seminar rooms, a student computer lab and the Honors Coffee Forum an inviting space designed for coffee, conversation and study, and rotating art exhibits complementing the Common Experience theme.

The University Honors Program accepts students on a rolling admissions basis. Entering first-year students from the top 10 percent of their graduating classes or those with minimum composite scores of 27 on the ACT or 1180 on the SAT are eligible to apply for admission to the program. Transfer or currently enrolled students with GPAs of at least 3.25 are also eligible to apply. There is no cost to join the program, and University Honors classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Students wishing to graduate in the University Honors Program have two avenues: (1) the traditional Honors Program, in which students complete at least five honors courses (15 hours), including the Honors Thesis, and (2) the minor in Honors Studies, where students complete at least seven honors courses (21 hours), including the Senior Seminar and the Honors Thesis. All University Honors students must maintain minimum GPAs of 3.25 to remain in and to graduate from the program. Students may elect to participate in the University Honors curriculum and community without completing honors graduation requirements. 

Program Benefits:

Each long semester students may choose from a diverse mix of honors courses when building their schedule for the semester. Honors courses substitute for either General Education requirements or advanced departmental electives. Departmental honors  courses now include Business Law, Calculus and Organic Chemistry. University Honors students receive access to early pre-registration each semester, and are eligible for scholarships awarded through the University Honors Program.

The Honors Thesis course a requirement to graduate in the program provides a semester for honors students to design and complete a research or creative project under the supervision of a professor. Students present their theses in an undergraduate thesis forum before an audience of faculty and students. Completed theses are submitted electronically to Alkek Library (see http://ecommons.txstate.edu/honorprog/) and are bound and housed in the Special Collections section of the Alkek Library and in the University Honors Program office. Students draw on the experience of completing an Honors Thesis in their applications to graduate school and/or applications for postgraduate work.

Texas State rewards completion of the University Honors Program requirements with the inclusion of the student's name, supervising professor and thesis title in the commencement program, a special transcript annotation, and a University Honors Program certificate as a supplement to the diploma. The University Honors Program also provides a special medallion to its graduates, especially suited for wearing at commencement.

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